What a Week of Fitness Competition Training Workouts Look Like

I’ve been asked quite a bit lately about my training regimen. My coaches have me on a 5 day on, 2 day off program - also known as a “lean bulk” phase. Bodybuilding.com has a great article if you’re interested in learning more about lean bulking. Essentially, the goal is to build as much muscle mass as you can without putting on fat in the process. Everything from timing your carb intake to keeping track of macronutrients (fat, carbs, protein and calories) play a role in how we effectively gain muscle in a slow and steady way. With that being said, here is what a typical week of workouts look like:

Tuesday Legs: 4 Sets, 10 Reps	squats - medium stance
	leg extensions - two legs
	hamstring curls - standing, single leg
	reverse lunges - standing, bar, all on one leg then the other
	inverted leg presses - medium stance
Wednesday Back & Triceps: 4 Sets, 12 reps	pull ups - wide grip
	tricep pushdowns - standing, cable, rope
	pull ups - close grip
	tricep pushdowns - standing, cable, v-bar
	bent over rows - bar, wide grip, pronated grip
	close hand presses - bar
	single arm rows - knee on bench, dumb bell
	nosebusters - lying, dumb bells, two arms
Calves 4 sets	calf raises - standing, L/R/Both - 15/15/15
Abs 4X15	roman chair - bent knee raises
Thursday Glutes & Chest: 4 Sets, 12 reps	flat bench presses - dumb bells, two arms
	pullovers - lying (across bench), single dumb bell/two arms
	butt blaster
	reverse hyperextensions
	hip lifts - body weight, lying on floor, single leg
	pop squats
	sumo squats - dumb bell/kettlebell, standing on two elevated step benches 2-3 blocks high, go deep allowing weight to drop between benches
	split squats
Friday Shoulders & Biceps: 4 Sets, 12 reps	side lateral raises - standing, dumb bells, two arms
	preacher curls - ez-curl bar, close grip
	arnold presses - seated, dumb bells, two arms
	bicep curls - standing, bar, close grip
	high rope pulls - split stance, cable, rope
	bicep curls - standing, dumb bells, two arms, hammer grip
	military presses - seated, machine, wide grip
	preacher curls - dumb bell, single arm
Calves 4 sets	calf raises – seated
Abs 4X15	basic crunches
Saturday Legs: 4 Sets, 15 reps	walking lunges - body weight
	box jumps
	step ups - from floor, body weight, single leg, all on one leg then the other
	jump squats
	squats - body weight
	Skaters

As you can see, my training sessions are long! Legs and Tush are my favorite muscle groups to train, with shoulders and triceps coming in dead last (when will lateral raises get easier?!). Most workouts take at least an hour, sometimes 90 minutes as I find myself bopping around the gym from machine to free weights and back again.

All in all, I love my training. In addition to the lifting schedule you see above (that my awesome coaches change every week), I am doing 10 minutes of stairs 4x per week. Doesn’t sound like much – but head on over to one, crank that bad boy up, stand tall and DON’T hold on. 10 minutes feels like a lifetime! I’m also still teaching my barre classes which I just love. Not only do I feel like it helps keep me lean, but I just LOVE the studio – my fellow instructors and our awesome clients bring a huge smile to my face.

I do miss running. My coaches have taken away all forms of cardio other than stairs (these really help develop the hammies and tush if you drive through your heels) in fear I’ll just burn off any muscle I put on. Someone please remind me of this when I’m a month or so out from my show and living on the stairs. Mental note - enjoy eating 6-7 meals a day and lifting heavy with minimal cardio while I can! 

I've also been asked about progress pictures. While I plan to continue updating everyone, posting half naked pictures of myself still feels funny! But in the spirit of y'all being as awesome as you've been with your texts, calls, emails and words of encouragement - here is a little progress shot from this morning before my workout. The difference between the pictures is just TWO shoulder workouts. TWO! Amazing how fast our bodies respond when we listen and fuel ourselves with proper nutrition, lift heavy and recover as necessary!

Don't mind the shameless 5am, no makeup selfie!

Not sure if the progress is as obvious to anyone else, but I see a huge difference in my delts. The "before" picture was taken right before I began prep, and you can see those little pencil arms/delts (speaking of - check out the sexy ass cap on my girl Melissa!!!). I think just two shoulder workouts have already grown my delts, which is significant since bikini competitions are won on:

1) Delts 2) Hamstrings 3) Glutes

As always - thanks for reading, and for the words of encouragement. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate them all SO much. You guys are the best.

XO,

Jenn